Stride
by NatalieRB
Summary: On Hiatus, Will Be Continued Eventually. See Profile For Details.
1. Pigeons and Two Forks

_Authors note; So, I am having a bit of trouble, and this is to clear the air. If I get some reviews –wink- then this should be done in a max. of two weeks. Yup. So, please review, and let me know. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Although… Y'know, no-one might be reading this right now, so in that case, I love the air that is letting me live. Ooh, deep stuff._

_Disclaiming: I have black socks on. I think I need to liven up a bit…_

**Stride**

**Pigeons and Two Forks.**

"I need to meet him. He is in some kind of foster home or something."

"What if he doesn't you know… want to know? Or if he doesn't remember? What then?! All that money and… time and just… everything…"

"I would rather meet him and know for myself. I will pay for everything, and you know that."

I sighed, knowing that she had won.

"Where the hell is this freak anyway?" I asked, agitated. She glared at me before running out of the room, only to come back twenty seconds later, laptop in hand. Opening up the internet, she typed FORKS, WASHINGTON into the maps search engine.

I heard of Forks, but never given it much thought. All I knew it was a small town, always rainy. Great.

"Alice, cant you just leave him be? I mean, he might get freaked out or something if you're all like; 'Hi. The names Alice. I'm your sister.' I know I would be…"

"That's why you will find him first." My mouth hung open. She wanted me to what?!

"Okay," She continued, ignoring my baffled expression. "So he has like… brownish hair and green eyes. Green eyes aren't really normal are they, so you should find him no problem. I have already enrolled you in the collage where he is, so just look for green eyes, and the-"

"Woah woah. Back up there, skippy. How the hell did you find all this out? Have you been stalking him or something?" She secretively tapped her nose, wiggling her eyebrows and winking at me. She just ended up looking like a cock-eyed bird. I stared blankly at her before we both broke into a fit of giggles.

"Have you talked to your parents about this?" I wondered, suddenly worried about their reaction. How would they fair to know their daughter was off to find the son they abandoned?

"No. I told them that you are moving in with your dad and that I want to go too."

"There are two problems with that. One, my dad never lived in Forks. Two, my dad is dead. They are kinda important, don't ya think?" I retorted, sarcasm evident.

"Yeah. Just go with it, you know. Bend when the wind blows. Roll with the punches." Ugh. She owed me.

"Fine." I sighed, stalking off to my truck.

"Bye Bells, love you too!" She yelled just before I slammed the door shut.

I closed the door to my truck harder than necessary, but ignored the protest of the hinges. The engine roared to life, and I let my head fall back. What was I getting myself into? I was heading off tomorrow, and Alice would be following me shortly. This was for Alice though, and I would do anything. _Brown hair, green eyes. Brown hair, green eyes._

Alice had bought me a whole new wardrobe, much to my dismay. She told me that I needed to fit in. I was offended; so my normal clothes wouldn't fit in? I shrugged it off, putting the comment in the payback folder in my mind. I did let her buy me it, on the account I got to choose. I decided to go crazy, and picked out things I would never usually looked twice at, and amazingly, Alice liked the items I chose too.

Packing was a blur. Mum knew I was going somewhere, and just told me to not get hurt and have fun. I told her I would call, but she just smiled and nodded. Ever since dad passed away she has become nothing more than a walking corpse. I did like to have my freedom, but I wanted to have my mum back. I couldn't blame her, but seeing her like that hurt my heart.

I slept soundly, and relished in the quietness of the night. If Forks really was rainy, then I would be destined for months of sleepless nights. I did not sleep well with the pitter-patter of rain constantly on the window.

I was going to live on campus. I was not looking forward to sharing, but it was the inevitable part of collage life. I was just grateful that they put girls and boys dorms in different areas of campus. I would just end up hyperventilating or saying something ridiculously stupid if I were in the same room as a guy, let alone live with one. _Brown hair, green eyes._

Morning came, and I felt empty. I wasn't exited; it was just something I had to do. Originally our plan was to go together, and we befriend him first, and then go in for the kill. Alice chickened out and left me on my own. She would be coming only a few days later than I, so I wasn't actually sure what I was worrying about. Still, the worry refused to leave me, like an annoying pigeon or and unwanted Labrador.

Morning came quickly, when I wanted it to go slowly. The morning passed slowly, even after I begged it to go quickly. Alice called to tell me she would be picking me up at six thirty in the evening, and I should be sleeping in my new dorm tonight. She had hired someone to pick my up from the airport, and I was travelling first class, even after I insisted she didn't waste that kind of money on me. She said that if I was going to do this for her, it's the least she could do. I couldn't argue with that; this _was _quite a big thing for me to do. But I would do anything for Alice.

I did everything I had to. Washed, got dressed, ate and gave mum her meds. She had been on anti-depressants ever since dad died.

Alice came early, and dragged me by the ear back to my room.

"Aliiccce!" I whined. "You didn't need to abuse me like that. I would have come up without you needing to rip off my ear." I rubbed my ear, finding the sore-spot and wincing.

"Hush. Now, let's get you ready." She rubbed her hands together in anticipation, and I looked down at my clothes.

"I am ready." I told her, somewhat confused.

"Pssh," She said, waving her hand in front of my face. "That? Ready?" She pointed at my clothes. I know I shouldn't have been, but I was hurt.

I had spent about half an hour picking out my clothes. I settled on a pair of skinny jeans Alice had bought me on one of our many shopping expeditions, a muse tee and a pair of flats.

"Okay," she sighed. "I guess you could have done worse." She put her head in her hands and apologised.

"Why are you apologising?"

"I don't know. I'm just nervous; that's all, I guess. I just want him to know me, and I… I want him to love me."

My heart broke for her. It must awful not to know if someone who was supposed to love you, might not. She was so brave.

"He. Will. Love. You. I promise. If not, I will make him love you." She giggled and we jumped in her car.

My goodbye to my mum was short; she was never one for goodbyes. I told her I would be back soon. She half-heartedly smiled and waved me goodbye.

"You wanna go eat somewhere? I know plane food sucks." she grimaced at just the thought.

"I don't mind plane food, actually." When she turned to stare at me, mouth hanging open, I screamed. "Okay! Let's eat, just keep your eyes on the road!"

"That's what I thought you said." She smiled, returning her focus to the road ahead.

I swear my best friend was a speed demon. She had never crashed or even got a ticket, but felt the need to drive like a maniac. I trusted her completely, but there was something about passing the world at over one hundred miles an hour that scared the crap out of me.

We stopped outside some fast food place. I didn't care what; I just needed to eat. Sitting inside, the silence between us was unnerving.

"So, um…" I cleared my throat. "What's his name?"

"Edward." An unusual name.

"He got a last name?"

"Nope. It obviously won't be the same as mine, but I mean… Edward? How many kids are called Edward these days?"

"Point." I said, pointing my fork at her.

I had ordered pasta, which I was surprised to see on a take-out menu, and demanded a fork. The poor guy, must have been no older than fifteen, was completely shocked at my request. What the hell did he expect me to eat it with?!

We headed to the airport. Alice cried as I gave in my ticket, and asked if there were any spare seats. I rolled my eyes and told her it was just a couple of days. She pouted and reluctantly gave in, hugging me as if I was leaving and never going to see her again. I laughed, despite the tears that trickled down my face. I wiped them away with shaking hands and waved my final goodbye as I crossed into a world unknown.


	2. Oklahomians and False Water

_Authors note; The plane journey was boring, so I'm skipping it. Tadaa! –Jazz hands- Basically, Oklahoma and Idaho were the first two states that came into my head, HANNAH. So don't hate me if you can't see them coming from these places. I am not an American, and don't know about accents, by the way. I know its short, and I give you permission to kill me._

_Disclaiming: If only…_

**Stride**

**Oklahomians and False Water.**

It had just gone eleven at night, and I was exhausted. My arms and legs felt like jelly. My room number was twelve, so I was on ground floor, of which I was forever grateful. The dorm was empty and the scarce-ness of furniture made the room seem eerie. I dumped my bags by the door and went to investigate when I heard loud squeals. _Great._

"Wait, there is a suitcase here, do you think someone is already here?" One girl whispered. Well, duh, obviously someone was here.

"Yup, I am here." I said, giving them both a shock.

"Er… hi." The blonde one said, eyeing me up and down. I looked at my fingernails, suddenly finding them extremely interesting.

"Hey."

"Um…" She said, obviously favouring the words (more like sounds) er and um. "I'm Rose."

"Hello, Rose. Bella." I said, stretching my arm out and giving her a genuine smile. She smiled back, and I had a feeling I was going to get along with her.

The door slammed, and I flinched at the loud noise. The brunette had disappeared without even introducing herself. I spotted two suitcases and gathered she would be back later.

"Tea? Coffee?" I asked Rose, making my way to the kitchen. I scoured every cabinet for any signs of life and find a small tub with about four or five tea bags and a tiny glass tub, half-full with coffee.

"Coffee, please."

"So, where are you from, Rose?" I asked, trying to make small talk.

"Oklahoma."

"So your like… an Oklahomian?"

"Um… sure. Where are you from?" She giggled.

"Idaho."

"I thought I recognised your accent; my uncle lives over there. I only ever get to speak to him on the phone." She said, leaning her elbow on the counter and looking to a far away place.

A silence came over us, and the only sound apart from our breathing was the bubbling of the rusty kettle.

"So, um… do you know anyone here?"

"Oh, yeah. My boyfriend Emmett and a couple of his mates are the year above."  
"How would I recognise him?" I asked, my quest to find Edward popping to mind.

"Oh, Em is kinda hard not to notice. The size of a wrestler and the voice of a football player." I giggled at her description.

"What about his mates?"

"Umm… Jasper is my brother in the year above too, and he is really tall. Blonde hair blue eyes," She said, waving a hand over herself indicating that he looks like her. "Usually hangs out with Emmett. There's Chris who is from England, so you can't really miss his accent. Same year as my brother. Umm…" She said, looking at the ceiling and drumming her nails against the counter. "I guess I could count Edward." My heart sped up, and I poured boiling water over my hand at the sound of his name. She didn't notice, and I quickly turned on the cold water to run my hand under it. "Ginger hair. Kind of in the middle of Jasper and Emmett in build; tall, but shorter than Jazz, and muscled, but not as much as Em. He's adopted, and doesn't talk much" I sighed. False alarm. _Brown hair, green eyes. _

And if they were siblings, surely they should look a little alike? I mean, Alice was tiny. So that ruled him out for sure, even before I counted the difference in hair colour.

I handed her the coffee and finished looking around, tea in hand. She looked at the bedrooms as I looked at the bathrooms. Three rooms, three bathrooms. Well, three rooms, two with double beds and one with a single, and three bathrooms, or more two en-suite's with a sink and loo, and one with a shower and bath. Definitely better than I expected, yet I didn't have the faintest clue what I expected in the first place.

We finished our drinks and I told her I was going to go and explore. She laughed and said she would rather stay put.

"Chicken," I jeered at her. "I'll catch you later." I waved as I opened the door.

The air was cold, and I brought my coat closer. I hated cold. Just as I was admiring all of the… green, it began to rain. Shit. It wasn't raining hard, but enough to ruin my day. My phone vibrated, and I fumbled to get it out of my coat pocket. Alice.

"Hey Ali." I sighed.  
"Did you land okay? Who is your room mate? What's the dorm like? Have you seen him?"

"I landed fine, a blonde called Rose and some other girl who just ran out, kinda nice and no."

"Oh." She sounded disappointed to my answer of the last question.

"I'm sorry Alice. Rose did tell me of this guy who is called Edward but she said he had ginger hair and was tall, but I thought if he was your brother then he should be kinda short too an-"

My phone nearly fell onto the wet floor. I caught it just in time before it smashed into a million little pieces, and I looked back up. I could hear Alice screaming down the line, but I wasn't registering it.

A group of about ten guys were running out of the rain, dressed in just shorts and vests. One I recognised instantly; just as Rose had said. Emmett. She was right, he was huge.

Standing next to him was Jasper. Very tall and I was close enough to see his piercing blue eyes. He looked a lot like Rose – they could have been twins.

A few other guys were in the group, and one guy had stopped to take his shirt off. I hadn't even noticed until I saw him, but it was chucking it down. I didn't care.

My eyes hungrily ran down his back. It was muscled to the point of perfection, and that was just his back! He turned to tuck his drenched shirt into the back of his shorts and saw me. His shirt fell from his hands as he looked at me. He must have been no more that six meters from me; a distance easily cleared quickly if I ran. I wanted to feel his bare chest under my fingers, and was suddenly disgusted with my current thought stream. I looked into his eyes and died. _Green eyes. _He had bronze hair that was ruffled – obviously his hands had been through it a few times today.

"Hey, Edward!" A booming voice came. I jumped at the sudden noise, but he didn't avert his gaze from me. His eyes bore into mine, and his mouth hung slightly open. He looked purely amazed, and I'm sure my face showed exactly the same emotion.

"OI! Cullen! You can't ignore the captain!" Emmett came within my viewing range, and he slapped Edward on the back. Edward just swatted his arm away as if it was an annoying fly, and he still kept looking into my eyes. I felt exposed, but didn't care. I was sure I looked like a drowned rat, but I didn't care. Emmett saw me, shrugged and walked away. Edward took a step forward, towards me, gave a faint smile to his feet and without looking at me again, ran to join his friends.

I stood in the rain, stunned.

_Edward Cullen._


	3. Boogey Men and Hearing Problems

_Authors note; Thanks guys, your response was awesome. This is really fun to write! It will be over soon, so I'm sorry if it seems rushed. It was originally a one shot, and is kinda hard for me to make it a full on story. Anyway, here goes. Yeah, it's short. Sue my ass, if your really that peeved. ^.^ But then, who will write this story? Hmm? Yeah, I advise you to kill me when it is finished._

_Disclaiming: Nope._

**Stride**

**Boogey Men and Hearing Problems.**

I ran back to the dorm, wincing at the squelching noise my boots made as I ran on the wooden floors. I fumbled with my key, dropping it a few times before getting the door open, and closing it tight behind me. I let out a large breath I didn't know I had been holding.

"The bogey man chasing you?" I jumped at the voice, not expecting it.

"No," I said, breathless and still not turning from facing the door. "Worse. Much, much worse."

"What the hell can be worse that the bogey man?!" She asked surprised, plopping down on the couch.

"Edward Cullen." I said my voice barley a whisper.

"Edward? What did he do?"

"No, no, no." I said, shaking my head while hanging up my drenched coat. "He didn't do anything. Not what he did. It's just _who _he is." She gave me a baffled expression as I went to the bathroom for a shower.

"Tell me when you start to make sense!" She called over the water noises. I giggled half-heartedly.

I got out of the shower and found a towel to wrap around me. I forgot to unpack my clothes. The living room was quiet, so I walked through towards my suitcase. Never again will I trust my hearing. Upon walking through the living room I head deep moans, and I thought Rose had hurt herself. I saw her lying on the couch, but only caught a slither of her body. It took me a moment to realise that she was laying _on top _of Emmett, kissing him to death.

"Oh, god Rose! Put some freakin' clothes on!" she peered up at me, hardly noticing me at all.

"Ditto." She mumbled against Emmett's mouth. I suddenly remembered that I had a skimpy white towel wrapped around me, and ran to the room that I had chosen earlier.

I breathed heavily, not remembering the last time my heart had beat so harshly in my chest like today. I scrambled through my bag, throwing pieces of clothing everywhere, before finally settling on an ensemble that even Alice would be proud of. My phone rang.

"I was just thinking of you." I said happily into the phone.

"Good, because I was freaking out about you!"

"Oh yeah. It was raining and it slipped out of my hand."

"You're a terrible liar, Bella."

"No I'm not!"

"Yeah, yeah you are. Tell me. Did you see a hot guy?"

"Um… you could say that."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Yes."

"No." I said, shaking my head.

"Yes!"

"Alice, no. You have to come here to find out."

"Tell me."

"Aliiiccceee. Please?! It's a surprise."

"Tell. Me. Now." Her tone was menacing, and I had to admit, I was scared. I was only on the phone…

"Fine!" I agreed, angry to have to tell her over the phone. I wanted her to be her when told her that he was here. "Guess what?!" I asked my voice raising as I jumped up and down on the spot.

"What? What? What?!?!" She screamed so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear.

"It's him! It's him! Oh god Alice, Edward Cullen is your brother! I freaking found his ass!"

"You're joking." She said voice serious.

"No I am deadly serious. You need to come meet him now!"

"How do you know it's him?"

"I…" I struggled for the words. "I don't know. I just do."

"Yeah, but what if I come over and he is not? What if I make a complete idiot of myself?!"

"You won't. Listen, I just know it's him. He is adopted too, so that has to count for something." She sighed, and I could practically hear the cogs working in her mind.

"But what if you were right?"

"Huh?"

"What if he doesn't want to know me?"

"Of course he will!" I yelled, annoyed at her constant mood swings. "Look, just come whenever you can. I have made a friend, and I think that I will be okay. I might even get to talk to him and…" I turned to peek out of my bedroom door to see if Emmett had left. He had gone, but now Rose stood in my doorway, mouth hanging open.

"Alice," I said into the phone, not breaking eye contact with Rose. "I'll call you back." And I shut the phone, taking a deep breath.


	4. The Bitch and the Master Plan

_Authors note; Heya guys. I got banned from using my home computer, (Go see chapter 33 of __**My Best Friend **__for why) and so I haven't updated. I will be coming to the library everyday, so this will probally be over soon. _:( _Yeah, she here goes…_

_Disclaiming: No. _

**Stride**

**That Bitch and the Master Plan.**

I gave a cheesy smile, hoping to deter her from what she wanted to know.

"Spill." She commanded, coming in and sitting on my bed.

"Uh… Rose…" I hesitated, not sure what to say. "It's not really my place to say…"

"Shut up. Listen to me. Edward has had some pretty rough shit recently. If it concerns you and concerns him than it is your place to say."

"Rose, that doesn't make sense."

"Don't change the subject!"

"I didn't!"

"Just tell me Bella." I paced the small space around the bad where she lay, trying to figure out how to tell her. Alice would kill me, but I had a feeling that Rose might help in our quest.

"Um… Okay. So my best friend, Alice, who I was talking to on the phone before you interrupted," I gave her a scowl, and she smiled back innocently, waving her hands for me to continue. "Is an only child. But she used to have a brother, and when she was little her parents told her that he had moved away." I took a deep breath. Alice's story was not a pretty one, and I often felt myself choking when talking about it. "She had an alright child hood… her parents were never home. They just gave her what she wanted all the time. She had everything, apart from her brother. It was only until last year that she found out that he was here, in the Seattle area. About two days ago she asked me to come here with her to find him, and she only knew a couple of things about him. Her parents split up about three years ago, and they hate each other. Alice never talks to them. She knew his name was Edward, and that he had brown hair and green eyes." The image of Edward flashed in my mind again. "Then she asked me to come here first, and she would come in a couple of days after I found him." I finished with a sigh, and flopped on the bed beside her.

"And?"

"What do you mean, and?"

"There is something your not telling me." she accused, pointing at me.

"…No there isn't." I disagreed, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"To hell there isn't."

"Oh, apart from the fact that it's Edward Cullen, I can't think of anything I haven't told you."

"What do you think about Edward?" I blushed immediately at her question, but also asking myself the same thing.

What did I think of him? He seemed nice. He seemed more than nice. He looked amazing. Pure perfection. I think that he looked like he would be a good brother to Alice. I didn't think that I would be able just to sit back and watch them be happy families. What if he was horrid? What if my assumptions were wrong, and what if he was an asshole?

"Um… I… don't know."  
"You fancy the pants off him, that's what you think."

"No I don't!" I yelled, slapping her on the arm.

"No, that's okay; if I wasn't with Em I would probally go for him. You would be cute together."

"But he is Alice's brother!"

"What if you didn't tell him that? Just be with him until Alice gets here. I can't wait to meet her."

"Yeah, she is amazing." I suddenly gasped in recognition. "What happened to that brunette?"

"Lauren? Oh, she left for her own dorm."

"Oh, is she not in here then? I thought I saw two suitcases."

"You did, they are both mine." My mouth hung open. Both?! She must be like Alice; crazy about clothes.

"Oh… well, so…" Now that I had confessed all, I was short of what to say. "What do you propose I do?"

"Seduce him."

"Excuse me?"

"You know, short skirts, bending over a lot."

"I dunno, Rose. That's not really me…"

"Do you want him or not?"

"No!"

"You do."

"I do, but I don't." I said, confused at my own statement.

"You want him, but you don't think you can have him."

"Yeah."

"Well, this is easy."

"Easy?"

"Yeah, easy." I raised an eyebrow, before pulling myself from the bed.

"Fancy a drink, Rose?"

"Sure."

I was exhausted by our discussion. She took the whole Alice thing a lot more calmly than I had expected, and she didn't even hint that she was tempted to tell anyone. I doubt she would tell Emmett, because he looked as if he couldn't keep a secret.

"You will speak to him tomorrow." I cursed as she made me spill the hot water; I wasn't expecting her voice.

"Will I, now?" I said, looking at her and daring her to force me.

"Yup, even if I have to force you." Damn.

"Sure, sure." I took a towel and began to mop up the spilt liquid.

"I'm deadly serious, Bella. You will. He needs you."

"He has never met me!"

"He saw you earlier."

"Oh, yeah."

"How did he look at you?" She asked, leaning her elbow on the work top much like she had done earlier. I tried to think. How _did _he look at me?

"He looked surprised. Then he looked as if he wanted to say something to me. Then Emmett came along…" I narrowed my eyes to the wall, sure not to do that in front of Rose. She wouldn't play nice if I spoke poorly of her boyfriend.

I handed her, her second coffee of the day, and we headed to the sofa.


	5. Teddy Pyjama's and a Night of Yelling

_Authors note; And another. I was just gonna write this and stick it on, not expecting any reviews, but look at that number! Gosh, I love you guys… Yeah, this is short because I wanted to post before I went to bed._

_Disclaimer: Hey, do I look like Stephenie Meyer? Yeah, I know, but I'm not her._

**Stride.**

**Teddy Pyjama's and a Night of Yelling.**

"So, I will help you."

"What do you mean you will help? Help me to do what, exactly?"

"Win over Edward, silly!" She said, punching me on the arm. I scowled, but it soon vanished when she started laughing. I couldn't hold it in, and so we were rolling on the sofa, laughing so much it hurt, when a knock came on the door.

Rose shooed me into my room where I stood, listening intently to the door. I could hear the front door being opened, and Rose spoke.

"Hello, Edward. What bring you here?"

"Hey. Who is your roommate?"  
"Bella, why?" Oh, she was good.

"Is she here?"

"Yes, one second." And with that she knocked on my door, pushing it open without waiting for a reply, and effectively making me fall backwards on my butt.

"Geez Rose!" I whispered. She waved her hands dismissively, pacing.

"What shall we do?" She mused. She snapped her fingers in my face. "I've got it! Thank god your hair is still wet. Quickly, change into your PJ's."

"But Rose," I whined. "My PJ's have teddies on them!"

"That's brilliant!" She said, her face lighting up in the most menacing fashion. "Quick." She urged.

I did as I was told and changed into them super-speed. Then Rose gave me a small pep-talk, before going into the room where Edward was. I counted to five after Rose left my room, and slowly creaked open the door, trying to act sleepy.

"Who is this asshole, then?" I said, trying to seem oblivious to him standing there, rubbing my eyes. I looked up, let my eyes adjust, and gasped.

"Edward." Rose told me something I already knew.

"I am so sorry!" I gushed, not needing to lie. I felt terrible to calling him an asshole. He held up his hands.

"No harm done." He told me. He held his hand out, not looking directly at me. I felt as if there was something behind me that was more interesting than I was, because he just stared at the wall behind me as I took his hand. His hand flinched as I touched it, and I wondered if he felt the shock that I did.

"So, um… what can I do for you?"

"I…" He paused. "Nothing, never mind. See you tomorrow." And with that, he was out of the door quicker than I could blink.

I stood there for a few seconds, processing what just happened. Thankfully Rose didn't interrupt as I thought. He asked Rose for me, shook my hand and then left. He just left. I felt rejected from a stranger.

"That. Was. Brilliant!" Rose yelled after I regained my composure.

"Was it?"

"It was a stroke of genius!" I raised one eyebrow at her, silently asking her to elaborate. "Did you see how he couldn't look at you? That meant that he didn't want to look at you because he wouldn't be able to control himself, and when you touched his hand it flinched. Did you feel something? Because I sure did!" I was surprised at how perceptive she was, and she reminded me so much of Alice during her little rant.

"I don't know… I think I may have scared him off."

"Oh, believe me honey, this is just the beginning." I looked at her sceptically, before saying goodnight and returning to my room.

I lay in bed, looking at the ceiling. This was my first night here, yet I felt like I had been sleeping in this bed for a lifetime. I looked at the clock and was shocked to see I had only been here five hours. Five hours and I already had an amazing friend, found what I came here for, and possibly, maybe found someone I like. More than like, but I wouldn't tell anyone that. I mean, what's not to like?

He was unbelievably gorgeous. His eyes were mesmerising… his hair just gave me the urge to run my fingers through it, to see if it really was as soft as it looked. His face was just begging to be touched, and his lips just begging to be kissed. His eyes just begging to be looked into, his chest just begging to be adored by my hands. I couldn't believe my current thought train, but I would be crazy to change it. I had the image of water dropping all over his hair and running down his chest in my mind, and I would rather die than think of something else. Okay, that was a little dramatic, but it felt true.

I looked at the patterns on the ceiling. Even in the dim moonlight I could see odd coloured stains all over it; yellows and blues and reds. I shuddered at the thought of what they could be. I thought I wasn't going to change my train of thought?


	6. Fire Alarms and Evil Emmett

_Author note; Hey guys, I'm back! Hm… this one is only a little bigger than the last because I only had about fifteen minutes to write it before I had to go out, but I wanted to post. Yeah, Could I get maybe… 100 reviews by the time this is over? I know we can, because lots of you have me on your favourites but are not reviewing. –Is sad- I love you, and don't forget to review!_

_Disclaiming: Not mine, or I would be like… so rich right now._

**Stride**

**Fire Alarms and Evil Teachers.**

I woke up early to the sound of our smoke alarm blaring. I jumped out of bed, terrified. Who would set something on fire at five in the morning? I thought as I glanced at the clock. I ran out of the door into the living room, and thick black smoke covered my vision. It was rising upwards, causing our room to look as if it was about to rain. I looked into the kitchen to find Rose batting smoke out of her face with her left hand, right hand holding onto a frying pan. I sighed. So she was one of _those._

"Rose, what the hell?"

"I tried to make pancakes and it just… poof!" She exclaimed, doing the action with her free hand. I took the pan out of her hand and told her to go and press the big red button on the smoke alarm. The bleeping stopped and my ears were relieved.

I put the pan in the sink and turned on the cold water, jumping out of the way before the hot pan could spit water in my face.

"Jeez, Rose! You could have fucking got me up to cook!"

"Sorry." She muttered, looking at the floor. She looked so hurt, and I could do nothing but laugh.

"What the hell are you laughing at?!"

"Oh, nothing. You looked as if you were gonna cry!" I said, making me remember why I was laughing in the first place and sending me into another hysterical fit. I expected her to shout or argue, or perhaps even slap me, but I was surprised when I heard a gentle tinkling of bells. We were soon both laughing so hard that she had tears trickling down her face, and my face was no doubt beet-red. A loud knock on the door caused our laughter to die down and Rose rolled her eyes at the interruption.

"Coming Emmie!" She called. How did she know it was even him? She wiped her face with the bottom of her shirt before flattening it back down and answering the door. "Emmie!" She screeched, throwing her arms around him.

"Hey Rosie." He said, holding her around the waist and fluttering kisses all over her face and neck. She giggled, and I was insanely jealous. Who wouldn't be?

She led him in and he made himself comfortable, flopping down onto the sofa. Rose snuggled up to him, and I stood in the archway of the kitchen, looking like a general idiot and third wheel.

"So," Emmett began after a short silence, looking up at me. "You are the famous Isabella Marie Swan."

"Bella." I corrected automatically. "How did you know my name?"

"Oh, I have connections." He winked at me. "Do you know what a tizzy you have my pal in?" He blurted, receiving a slap on the arm and a death glare from 'Rosie'. Regardless, he continued, obviously enjoying his moment. "He can't even play football properly because of you. We came out of the field when it started raining, but since it wasn't too late when it stopped we went back out. Then it freaking started raining again!" He said exasperatedly. "If we fail this terms match, I hold you personally responsible to distracting my best quarterback." He stubbed a finger at me. I just stared confused, while Rose removed his arm from around her and stood by me, arms crossed.

"You weren't supposed to say anything!" She whined, stamping her foot.

"What?" He asked, moving his shoulders in a shrug. "She could work it to her advantage." He said, eyes flickering to my still confused face. I stood speechless, looking at the pair's plotting and scheming.

"Good point Em. I could dress her up and everything!" She said, clapping her hands and retuning to her spot beside him.

"Why does everyone want to give me a make over?" I mumbled, referring to Alice.

"Wait," Emmett said, ignoring my last comment. "I can't afford him being distracted." He looked at Rose.

"This is Bella's welfare we are talking about here!"

"If we loose then he is off the team!"

"What if it isn't him who stuffs up? What if its you?"

"I never stuff up." He said, ego blowing up above him. "Besides, you can't get rid of the captain. Only the captain can get rid of the captain, and I say I'm not going anywhere."

"But think of how much happier he will be if they are together! He may even play _better_!" She said, right in his ear.

"Not possible." He said, shaking his head.

"Just you wait and see." She yelled, pushing him off the couch – and, to my surprise, succeeding – and out of the door. He banged on the door.

"Aw, come on Rose! Don't be like that! You can't do this to him!" And so on.

I was still stood like a melon, staring at Rose who leant against the door, her body shaking occasionally as the result of Emmett's furious banging. She had a wicked smile on her lips, and her eyes closed. Something told me that they were the on-off kind of couple.


	7. First Day and Too Many Phone Coffee's

_Authors note; Wow. I have had a pretty hectic week, so sorry for not updating. Anyway, littlelamb188, I'm sorry! Guys, I only just realised that last chapter was called EVIL TEACHERS. Sorry about that, will be changing it. Sorry for any confusion. Anyway, this is roughly double last time, so I hope that makes up for not posting all week. Forgive me? I LOVE YOU!_

_Disclaiming: Obviously, twilight isn't mine._

**Stride**

**First Day and One Too Many Phone Coffee's.**

"So, um…" I said hesitantly, taking a few steps closer to her, but with still enough distance between us. "What were you just talking about? Because I didn't get a word of it."

"Don't you freakin' speak English, girl?"

"Well, yeah." She rolled her eyes at me. I sighed in irritation.

"I'm going to call Alice." I said as I retreated to my room, picking my phone up off the floor. It was already ringing, and Alice's photo was flashing on the screen.

"Hey." I said half heartedly.

"I have been trying to call you for two days!" She yelled. Oh yeah, the last time I talked to Alice was when Rose caught me. "So, what happened?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Rose, my roommate, heard me say that Edward was your brother."

"So?"

"Her boyfriend's best friend is Edward."

"Ohh." She was silent, and I was scared. "That's brilliant!" she squealed.

"Wait… what?"

"This means we know him!" she told me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I stayed silent, feeling like an idiot for not fully understanding her intentions. She sighed. "You can get to know him through Rose. Duh." She added.

"Oh."

"Jee, Alice, that is such a good idea! I can't believe I didn't think of that!" She said sarcastically. I shook my head before remembering she couldn't see me.

"No, Alice. I'm not using Rose."

"You won't be!" She insisted. I was about to argue back before my door flung open and the phone was out of my hand.

"What ever happened to knocking?" I muttered as I followed Rose into the living room.

She was talking so quickly that I only got snippets of the conversation, and the odd 'hmm' and 'ahh' from Rose. I also heard my name mentioned several times, but thought nothing of it, since it was me that was supposed to be doing this anyway.

"Alice says she will be about a week late; she can't get a flight until Friday next week." Rose informed me, winking. I just stared back, mouth hanging open, not registering anything after 'a week late.' A whole week!

I decided to give my friends some privacy and went into the kitchen. I looked at the clock on the microwave and saw that it was just half seven. Well, Rose _did _wake me up at five. I boiled the kettle for what felt like the millionth time since I arrived here and hopped up onto the counter, ignoring the niggling voice of my mother telling me to get off the counter. I smiled at the memory of her, nonetheless, and thought about how much I missed her already.

What time did Emmett come over then? He must have come over at like… half five or six. I swear those two are joined at the hip.

My first class was around nine. I sighed. Rose walked through the door as the kettle was finishing, and I was getting two mugs out.

"Coffee Rose?"

"Please."

"So, what was that about?" I asked, unable to mask my wonder. She tapped her nose. "Awe, come on Rose! That's not fair!"

"Never said I was." She smiled before grabbing her coffee mug and leaving me alone in the kitchen. I sighed as I left the kitchen to retreat into my room.

I decided to get ready, since there was nothing else to do. I took a swift shower and changed quickly into a pair of skinny jeans that were the first thing my hands touched, and a pink blouse that I remembered Alice loving on me. I got out a pair of black flats and set them by the door.

I dried my hair with the hairdryer before tying it up into a bun (My hair, not the hairdryer) and placing the hairdryer on the small table in front of the sofa, just in case Rose wanted to use it. I stood up straight again and scratched my head, trying to think of something to do. I looked at the clock on my phone and saw that it was now half eight. That's okay, I thought, I need to go to the office anyway. Rose's first class was at nine, so I just assumed mine was too. I needed my timetable.

"Rose!" I yelled. After getting no answer, I called her name louder. "Rose!"

"What?! Jeez!" She said, rubbing her hair dry with a towel.

"I'm heading off."

"No your not."

"Why not?"

"Your not going out in that, are you?!" She asked, looking me up and down.

"Indeed I am." I said, brushing the comment to one side. "Any other reason why I can't leave?"

She stood for a few moments, tapping her chin as if she were thinking.

"How come you are heading off so early? We don't need to be there for at least another twenty minutes." She said, looking at her watch.

"I don't have a timetable." I shrugged. "Besides, my first class might be a little earlier than yours." She nodded in understanding and told me that tomorrow she would be dressing me. As if.

"Bye!" I called as I slipped on my shoes and slammed the door shut.

It wasn't too cold; muddy from the previous evening, and probally warm compared to the usual weather of Forks. I followed the bright blue plastic signs that were nailed high up into the walls and, after falling just the once, and heading the wrong way twice, I arrived at the reception five minutes late.

"Oh, Isabella." The lady said as soon as I entered the sliding doors.

"Bella." I corrected automatically. She nodded and smiled as she rifled through a cabinet of files, then clapping her hands as she found the right one.

"Bella Swan." She said, opening up the file. "Here is your timetable. I assume you found your dorm okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

"And how are you getting along with Rosalie?" Rose had never told me her full name. Rosalie suited her very well.

"Yes, she is very nice." I told her, and she began smiling.

"Indeed, she is. She knows her way around this school since she seems to be very close to Mr. McCarty and the other football players, but if you don't fancy asking them for directions please don't hesitate to come and see me." She spoke quickly, and I guessed she may have had one too many coffee's this morning.

She was slender with dark hair and thick rimmed glasses. I found out from Rose later that she was Miss. Gough, who was actually thirty eight. To me, she looked no older than thirty at the oldest.

I looked at the timetable and groaned at the sight of my first lesson. Biology. Great.


	8. Oh My Biology Oh, and Note Passing

_Authors note; Sorry hugely for the wait. I'm updating just about all of my fics tonight, so check them out if you don't hate me for not updating. This chapter is gonna have some BellaxEdward, but not loads, since they don't really know each other etc, etc. :)_

_Disclaiming: Same as last year: Nothing._

**Stride**

**Oh. My. God. Biology. Oh, and Note Passing.**

I followed the signs but still managed to get lost. Typical. Much to my luck, I saw Emmett down the hall speaking to a few other of his mates, one of which was Edward. I didn't want to go over there and embarrass myself in front of ten super huge football players, including Edward, but it looked as if I had no choice in the matter. I walked over slowly, trying to get Emmett attention so that I could get him to come over to me, hopefully on his own, but I swear he is blind. I sucked it up and walked over, my head held high.

"Emmett?" I asked as I tapped him on the back.

"Is this Bella I hear, calling my name?" He asked in a post British accent, but actually making him sound a little retarded. He spun around whilst grabbing me in a hug tight enough to cut off my air supply _and _blood circulation.

"Uh, Em," I chocked. "I need to get to biology."

"Who is your torture master?" He asked, grabbing my timetable from my hands. He scanned it and stabbed a finger on the correct one. "Why, Eddie boy, looks like it's your lucky day!" Emmett said, looking around at Edward who was blushing furiously. I tried not to look at him too much, but I smiled at him, unable to keep myself from frowning. Just seeing him sent my heart wild, and I couldn't _not_ smile. "You, my lucky winner, get to escort Miss Bella Swan to biology! Whoo!" He said in mock enthusiasm. I glared at him, but he just smiled back innocently. I could have strangled him then and there.

"You have Mr Banner?" Edward asked, looking right at me. I felt as if he were looking into my soul or reading my mind. He just looked at me so deeply… I felt my legs turn to jelly beneath me, and I begged them to keep holding me up. I nodded. "Me too." He said, somewhat shyly.

"Let's go." I smiled to him, spinning around leading him to what I hoped was the right direction. I could hear Emmett laughing and encouraging Edward to 'go get her'. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but laugh. I reached the stairs before a velvet voice called my name.

"Uh, Bella? Bio is this way." Edward smirked, walking in exactly the opposite direction of which I was heading.

"I knew that." I insisted, and saw a cute little smile play on his lips.

We walked to class silently, because there was nothing to say. The only things I could come up with were 'Hey, I find you really hot.' Or 'Edward, you do know that you're my best friends' brother, right? I know, how funny is that?!' Neither of which I would be saying.

We got to the destination and Edward opened the door for me. I couldn't help but blush and smile as I walked through, surprised at his behaviour. I would never have guessed him to be such a gentlemen. I walked straight over to the teacher and handed him a slip that the receptionist had given me for each teacher to sign. He signed it with a flourish and told me to find any empty seat, as he wasn't sure where it was himself. Everyone else was filing in and I stood at the front, waiting for everyone to grab a seat so that I could take an empty one. Sitting in a taken space on my first day was not a good idea. There was just the one space left.

Next to Edward, right at the back of the class. I didn't know whether to cry or act as if I had won the lottery. I decided to keep it cool, and walked down the space at the end of the class and down the back, eventually getting to the seat and pulling it out. Edwards head was down, doodling, and his head shot up at the sound of a chair moving. He smiled as soon as he saw me, shuffling his books that were spread out across the whole of the table to make room for me. I smiled back, just glad that he didn't hate me.

The teacher droned on. And on. And on. I could feel Edward's eyes looking at me, but I didn't look at him. Then for a slight second, I didn't feel his eyes piercing into me, but instead a scrap of paper was folded neatly onto my notebook. I looked at him warily, and he turned his head to the front, smiling. I opened up the note, curious but cautious.

_**Why did you move here?**_

Seemed like an easy enough question, but I was taken aback by his bluntness. I picked up my pen and began to scrawl a reply, effectively ruining the note; his beautiful script looked so elegant on the white paper, and I just had to ruin it with my own scruffy handwriting.

_I moved out of home, and this was the closest small school to Seattle. My friend Alice will be here in about a week, too._

I decided that only a little of that was a lie. I didn't like to lie, but in this case it was the only option. There was no way I could tell him the truth, and I decided that he might forgive me for that little white lie.

_**You're not a very good liar.**_

He wrote back. I was shocked. How did he know I was lying? It was only a tiny little lie anyway. What did it matter to him?

_Not all of it was a lie._

I wrote back furiously, angry that he had sussed it so quickly.

_**I know. Just the first bit. Why are you lying?**_

I was amazed that he knew what bit I was lying on. I was amazed that he knew I was lying in the first place. Just then, thanks to my guardian angel, the bell went. I just smiled at Edward as he sat, shocked at the timing, and packed my things away.

I practically ran to my history class; I was late because I couldn't find it, again. The teacher seemed nice, about as nice as history teachers get.

The day just went on. Like… I don't know what it was like, but it was boring. I met some friends of Edward and Emmett. There was Jasper, who was also Rose's brother, and they look so similar it's almost scary. He seemed very calm, but didn't speak much. He was very relaxing to be around, even if it was just for ten minutes. He was the kind of guy Alice could benefit from; he could calm her down before and after a shopping trip.

Mike was nice, too. A bit clingy. He insisted on walking me to three of my classes, even after I insisted he didn't have to. Tyler was cool. Not clingy, but a bit stupid. He acted stupid to get people to laugh at him, I assumed. And Eric was alright, too. He was bragging about how he is captain to the football team, but I just smiled.

"Isn't Emmett the captain?" I had asked, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, yeah," He stuttered, trying to cover his lie. "But I'm second."

"Isn't Edward second?" I asked, still finding it hard not to laugh. He blushed and made up some lame excuse for being late to meet him mum or something…


End file.
